Electric switch



March 23, 1943. K, F, .1. KIRSTEN ELECTRIC SWITCH Filed Jan. 24, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 23, 1943 2,314,407 ELECTRIC SWITCH Kurt F. J.

ona G. Troutman, Application January 24, 1941, Serial Kirsten, Seattle, Wash.,

assignor to Ohio Columbus,

9 claims. (c1. zoo-159) This invention relates to electric switches, and has for its objects to provide mechanism simple and relatively inexpensive in construction, and durable in operation, particularly adapted for installation in the floor of a room in a manner permitting ready actuation by application of foot pressure thereto.

It is a further anda particular object to provide a switch having its manually-engaged pedal element so engineered as to present a minimum obstruction to a person walking about the room, and which in its inoperative normal position functions to seal the switch proper against admission of room dust or of water or other liquid which might be. applied during a cleaning opera.- tion or by accident spilled on the iioor.

As a still further object the invention aims to provide a switch including an escutcheon plate having therein a ring of a night-luminous substance outlining the actuating element to permit l the latter to be easily located in the dark.

Other objects and advantages, with the foregoing, will become apparent in the course of the following description wherein reference is had to the accompanying drawings showing the now preferred embodiment voi' my switch.

The invention consists in the novel construction and in the adaptation and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a transverse vertical section and Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section taken, respectively, on the substantial ,transversemedian and longitudinal median lines of a switch mechanism constructed in accordance with the present invention, both views having the electric wires deleted therefrom and representing the installation to the iloor of a room.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on line 3-,3 of Fig. 2 with a fragmentary showing of the electric wires and with a part of the cover plate for the switch case broken away.

Fig. 4 is a somewhat fragmentary transverse vertical section taken on broken line I--l of Fig. 2 excepting that the parts are shown in the positions occupied during a switch-operating movement.

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the switch; and

Fig. 6 is a wiring diagramrepresenting a conventional series hook-up of the binding posts of the switch in an electric circuit including a lamp.

this as well as the alternative method of wir'' ing such posts in parallel being common practice where, as in the illustrated embodimentA the posts are pluralized.

Having reference to the drawings. the `letters 1T and sf denote, respectively, the finish and subflooring of a room having an opening therein to receive the switch, and the numeral Ill designates a conventional metal box hung by angle brackets II below the switch.

Within this box is the switch proper which provides an insulated case suspended by hangers l2 to have the same lie in spaced relation below an escutcheon plate i3, the case being desirably comprised of a rectangular shell Il closed by top and bottom plates l5-I6 and each being vertieally bored on the longitudinal median line of the case to provide registering openings through which bolts I1 are received, the bolts serving the added end of securing the hangers which are caught between the shell and the top plate I5.

Formed in the inner wall of each of the shell sides are channeled guide-ways for the vertical sliding movement of a bar-piston I8. Said barpiston is represented as being of an inverted-U shape and at the lower end of one of its arms carries a'pawl I9 pivotally mounted as at 20 and functioning by ratchet engagement with a series of four circumferentially spaced pins 2| to impart quarter-revolutions to a tumbler 22, the pawl being urged into engagement with the tumbler pins by a spring 23. Formed on each end of the tumbler are prominences 2lwhich,

on alternate quarter-turns, act to expand op'v posingly disposed and spring-retractive contact arms 25 into circuitlosing engagement with contact clips 26, the clips being caught between the upper plate and the shell and receiving. screws 21 (Figs. 4 and 5) which act as binding posts for electric wires 2B. The spring metal forming' the contact arms 25 is produced to a U-shape and iinds' a seat in recesses provided by the bottom plate of the case, being secured therein by an overlying insulation -strip 30 which is fixedly caught between said bottom plate and the shell I4.

Reverting to the bar-piston i8, it will be seen that the same connects through the instrumen- ,tality of a screw 3| with a push-rod 32, the pushrod being slidably received through a dished washer 33 seating on the top plate I5. On the push-rod is ,a surmounting head 32' designed to function as a cup bearing :for a ball 34. The hall acts as the pedal element for the push-rod and is urged upwardly by a the ball seat against the underside of the escutcheon in a suitable bevelled opening permitting a portion of the ball to project as a push-button beyond the escutchspring w35 working against eon face. I provide, in said escutcheon face, a channel in surrounding relation to the opening, which is illled with a phosphorescent preparation, as 36, or its equivalent in a material capable of glowing in the dark.

'I'he operation of the switch is believed toA be clear. Foot-operation of the button in opposition to spring 35 and with the parts in the positions shown in Fig. 1 produces a quarter-turn of the tumbler to spread the arms of the spring contacts 25 into circuit-closing engagement with the terminal clips 26, namely into the positions shown in Fig. 4. Upon a release of the foot the ball returns to its normal position, and a following depression of the button again imparts a quarter-turn to the tumbler to again locate the prominences 24 in vertical alignment whereupon the spring arms 25 are permitted to contract with a resulting break in the circuit. The ball, by its ability to rotate. on the surmounting head 3l."v o1' the push-rod, reduces wear and assures a dust and liquid-proof seal as the same spring 35 on its bevelled seat, this rotating faculty additionally minimizing danger of tripping as well as eliminating possibility of damage to the button where a persons shoe is accidentally brought into contact with the same.

It is obvious that the switch might be applied to the wall as well as the floor of a room. The peculiar adaptability to a floor installation makes the latter preferable, however, in that it eliminates the unsightly stains which invariably appear on the paper or other wall iinish in proximity oi' all installations.

It is my intention that 'the language of the hereto annexed claims be given a scope in its interpretation commensurate with the state ofthe advance in the art.

What I claim is:

, 1. In an electric oor switch, in combination: an escutcheon plate arranged to lie substantially flush with' the floor and having an annular opening bevelled from the underside; a closed switch case hung in spaced relation below the escutcheon plate and having an opening through its top cover aligned with the opening of the escutcheon plate; switch mechanism within the case; a pushrod working through said opening in the cover, having operative engagement within the case with the switch mechanism, and formed at its upper end with an ing a diameter somewhat exceeding the diameter of the escutcheon opening and revolubly suppush-rod and acting to influence the ball into seating engagement with the bevelled face of the escutcheon opening to have a portion of the ball project through the opening as a push-button for the switch.

2. In an electric switch, in combination: an escutcheon plate having an annular opening therein; a. closed switch relation below the escutcheon plate and having an opening through its top cover aligned with the opening of the escutcheon plate; switch mechanism housed Within the case; a dished washer seating in the opening of said cover; a push-rod working through said washer, having operative engagement within the case with the switch mechanism, and formed at its upper end with an enlarged cupped head; a ball lhaving a diameter somewhat exceeding the diameter of the case hung in spaced f is held by the enlarged cupped head; a ball havescutcheon opening and revolubly supported on the head; and a compression spring surroundingthe push rod, dished surface and bearing at one end on the of the washer and at 'the other 3. In an electric switch, in combination: an

the case, operatively associated with the contact clips and with the push-rod, arranged and adapted by successive depression movements oi the push-rod to open and close an electric circuit including the contact clips,

4. In an electric switch, in combination: an escutcheon plate having an opening therein; a

latter movement acting to obtain reciprocation of the push-rod; contact clips forming the terminals of an electric circuit and having their contact faces contact clips, said tumbler being provided with a ratchet wheel; and a pawl actuated by the reciprocation of the pushrod and operatively associated with the ratchet wheel to impart said partial turns to thetumbler in response to successive depression movements of the push-rod.

5. In an electric switch, in combination: an escutcheon plate having an opening therein; an insulated switch case hung in spaced relation below the 'escutcheon and having an opening through its cover aligned with the opening of the escutcheon plate; a push-rod extending through said aligned openings; a. bar-piston slidably suppor-ted within the case and coupled to the pushrod; a spring acting in opposition to depression movements of the push-rod and with the latter movement acting to obtain reciprocation of the bar-piston; a pawl carried by said bar-piston; a tumbler journaled in the case provided with a series of four pins located parallel to and in circumferentially spaced relation about the tumbler axis and by operative engagement with the pawl functioning as a ratchet wheel to impart quarter-turns to the tumbler; pluralized pairs of contact clips forming the terminals of an electric circuit and having their contact faces exposed within the case; and plural U-shaped spring contact members supported within the case in straddling relation to` the tumbler arranged and adapted to successive quarter-turns of the tumbler to be brought in unison into and out of circuit-closing engagement with the contact clips.

6. In an electric switch, in combination: an escutcheon plate having an opening therein; an insulated rectangular switch case hug in spaced relation below the escutcheon plate and comprised of a shell member and top and bottom cover plates therefor, said' top plate having an opening therethrough aligned with the opening of the escutcheon plate, and said bottom plate having a pair of transversely extending vrecesses in its upper facespaced one from the other to lie at each end of the switch chamber; contact clips forming the terminals of an electric circuit and caught between the shell and the top plate in each of' the four corners of the case; U-shaped spring contact members having their cross-arm portions seating in the recesses f the bottom plate and locating the :free ends of the legs in functioning relation to the contact clips, the spring characteristic of said members acting by contraction -to normally hold the legs out .of circuit-closing relation to the clips; an insulated strip overlying said cross-arms of the contact members and caught between the shell and the bottom plate at each end ofthe case to secure said cross-arms in the recesses; a tumbler journaled in the case to lie between the legs of said contact members and arranged and adapted by successive quarter-turns to obtain movement of the spring legs into and out of circuit-closing engagement with the clips, said tumbler being provided with a series of four pins located parallel to and in circumferentially spaced relation about the tumbler axis; a bar-piston slidably supported in the case and providing a pawl having ratchet engagement with the tumbler pins; and a springreturned push-rod extending through said aligned openings of the escutcheon and top plates and coupled within the case to the bar-piston for imparting ratchet-operating reciprocatory movements to the piston.

'7. In an electric switch: the combination of a switch mechanism; a reciprocative push-rod havlng functional connection with the switch mechanism to actuate the latter in one direction-only of the rods reciprocative movement; a manuallydepressed ball mounted for free revoluble movement and functional to the push-rod for imparting switch-operating movement to the latter 'by depression movement of the ball; a coil compression spring surrounding the push-rod with its coil axis co-axial to the rod and working against the latter in opposition to the. depression force v applied from the ball; and an escutcheon plate formed upon its underside with a seat engaged by the ball in the spring-iniluenced return travel of the push-'rod for limiting said return movement, said escutcheon plate providing an annular opening therethrough co-axial to the seat and having' a diameter somewhat less than the diarneter of the ball to permit a portion of the latter to be exposed through the plate for use as a push-button in operating the switch.

8. In an electric switch: the combination of'a y switch mechanism; a reciprocative push-rod having functional connection with the switch mechanism to actuate the latter in one direction only of the rods recprocative movement; a ball finding a rotary bearing upon the push-rod and manually depressible `for imparting switch-operating movement to the push-rod; a coil compression spring surrounding the push-rod with its coil axis co-axial to the rod and working against the latter in opposition to the depression force applied from the ball; and anescutcheon plate having an annular opening of a diameter somewhat less than the diameter of the ball and upon its underside forming a seat engaged by the ball in the spring-inuenced travel of the ball for limiting the return movement of the latter, the seated ball being partially exposed through said escutcheon opening to present a push-button for the operation of the switch.

9. The structure of claim 8 applied as a oor switch with the escutcheon plate lying substantially flush with the oor, and including a switch case for the switch mechanism suspended to lie in spaced relation below the' escutecheon plate.-

KURT F. J. KIRSTEN.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 2,51lbh07. March 25, 19M.

' KURT F. J. KIRSTEN.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiringV correction as follows: Page 2, first column, line 5h, for all read -wal1; page 5, firstl column, line 5, for "to" read -by; line 8, for "hug" read hurig; second column, line )4.5, for "escutecheon" read eseutcheon; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may confornyt'o the record of the case in the Patent Office.

signed and sealed thm nth day of nay, A. D. 19145.

A l Henry Axesdale, (Seal)A v Acting Commissioner of Patents, 

